It means packing up and moving on, often far away from family and friends.

It was a dramatic moment for some 200 students at Yeshiva University’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx.

WCBS 880 reporter Paul Murnane asked some where they were headed.

They’re being sent all across the country: one to San Francisco, another to Pennsylvania. One got to stay even closer, having been assigned to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx.

“I’ve always been someone who loved science and I love people and it was kind of like the bridge between my two loves, you know,” said one medical student.

Einstein’s Dr. Nadine Katz says the national debate on health care has been very much on these young minds.

“We don’t know what the face of medicine will be like even next year maybe and, for sure, in the years to come,” says Dr. Katz.

One student pursuing family medicine at Montefiore Medical Center said, “This country needs more primary care doctors. It’s the best way to deliver care, in terms of prevention, in terms of long-term follow-up, patient satisfaction, and reducing cost.”

Dr. Katz says a surprising number of students are pursuing family practice career.

“Unfortunately, the way our current health care is set up, it’s not a field that actually pays a lot of money. So, we’re thrilled that our students are choosing to serve.”

From the south shore of Staten Island after Hurricane Sandy to the visit of Pope Francis to New York City - I've been lucky to cover big New York City stories from the street and from the studio over more than 20 years with WCBS Newsradio 880.80...